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From St-Amour in the north to Brouilly in the south, the 10 crus of Beaujolais suffered in the past from a lack of investment and poor winemaking, not to mention the glut of Nouveau. But things have changed, says James Lawther MW

Know your Beaujolais crus

James Lawther’s top 2013 cru Beaujolais reds

Juliénas(578ha) Mainly blue-stone soils. Deeply coloured wines with red fruits, minerality and freshness.

St-Amour (319ha) Diverse soils. Lively, light, fruity and floral wines. Chénas (249ha) A steep granite hill with alluvial slopes. Generous, darkfruited, structured wines.

Moulin-à-Vent (717ha) Pink granite slopes. Concentrated, complex, powerful with definite ageing potential.

Fleurie (914ha) 90% pink granite. Elegant, aromatic, floral, finely textured wines.

Chiroubles (334ha) Pink granite slopes of the highest altitude. Lively, fragrant, delicate wines.

Morgon (1,114ha) Granite and alluvial soils with seams of blue stone. Dense, structured, ageworthy wines with black cherry characters.

Regnié (368ha) Granite soils. Supple, fruity wines with a red fruit character.

Brouilly (1,257ha) Pink granite, ancient alluvial pebbles and limestone hillocks. Sound, generous, fruity wines.

Côte de Brouilly (340ha) Blue stone and shale on steep slopes. Dense wines with fine tannins, pepper and mineral notes; fine ageing potential.

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James Lawther MW
James Lawther MW
Decanter Magazine, Bordeaux Expert and DWWA 2019 Regional Chair for Languedoc-Roussillon

James Lawther MW is a contributing editor to Decanter as well as an independent wine writer, lecturer and tour guide based in Bordeaux. He retailed wine at Steven Spurrier's Les Caves de la Madeleine in Paris in the 1980s, and his early career also involved stints as a cellar hand in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Roussillon and Western Australia. In 1993, Lawther became a Master of Wine. He is author of The Heart of Bordeaux and The Finest Wines of Bordeaux, and has contributed to books including Dorling Kindersley’s Wines of the World, Oz Clarke’s Bordeaux and Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book.